Question on Nash

[panfolk]

Does anyone else think Nash's confidence in his teammates to come back from behind is minimal in the 4th? Time and time again I see him dominate the ball and take contested shots when we are behind in the 4th. I know he is MVP and I certainly am not questioning his ability. Is it him recognizing his teammates have gone cold or is it his will to compete taking over?

 

[mavsfan1000]

I think teams try to cut off open shots and keying on the pass forcing Nash to shoot more. Nash seemed to get the job done against Dallas though.

 

[elindholm]

Even good defensive teams find it hard to sustain a committed effort for 48 minutes. In the fourth quarter, they knuckle down, get back in transition, and stay a lot more alert. Also, the officials tend to let the game get more physical in the fourth quarter. All of this restricts the Suns' movement and makes it harder for Nash to find open teammates, so he has to become more of a threat himself.

 

[jibikao]

Another thing is Nash is one of our best one-on-one players on the team. Nash can create for himself and others.

Tim Thomas can create pretty well for himself but I am not sure if D'Antoni wants him to handle the clutch time.

I do agree that we need more plays in the 4th quarter. I guess that's the price you pay for being the "star" player. Star players are expected to take over the game in the end when defense is very tight and pressure/tiredness kick in.

 

[Suns_fan69]

I do agree that we need more plays in the 4th quarter.

I agree with this as well. I think it's fine letting Nash dictate the offense a lot during the progression of the game but in the 4th when things tigthen up like Eric mentioned it'd be nice if we had a couple more offensive set plays instead of just having that high pick and roll, which by then the opposition has seen a steady stream of.

The suns seem to have decent plays coming out of timeouts and such so it's not like they can't run them. The only downside I see is if they start having these plays then it gives opponents more scouting material and more for the opposition to key up on. But at least there's an element of surprise (assuming they have more than 1 set play), I mean, does anyone not expect a high elbow pick and roll from either Diaw or Marion in a halfcourt set with less than 3 minutes left?

OT: Does anyone else find it hard to separate yourself from the team? I keep wanting to say 'we' instead of 'they'.

 

[elindholm]

OT: Does anyone else find it hard to separate yourself from the team? I keep wanting to say 'we' instead of 'they'.

I always say or write "they" as a matter of accuracy, but I'm well known for being uptight about such things. Once in a while I catch myself trying to write "we," but I make myself change it.

 

[jibikao]

I agree with this as well. I think it's fine letting Nash dictate the offense a lot during the progression of the game but in the 4th when things tigthen up like Eric mentioned it'd be nice if we had a couple more offensive set plays instead of just having that high pick and roll, which by then the opposition has seen a steady stream of.

The suns seem to have decent plays coming out of timeouts and such so it's not like they can't run them. The only downside I see is if they start having these plays then it gives opponents more scouting material and more for the opposition to key up on. But at least there's an element of surprise (assuming they have more than 1 set play), I mean, does anyone not expect a high elbow pick and roll from either Diaw or Marion in a halfcourt set with less than 3 minutes left?

OT: Does anyone else find it hard to separate yourself from the team? I keep wanting to say 'we' instead of 'they'.

Well, if Amare is healthy and playing, we will have one more weapon to use! Right now, we are stuck with Nash creating, although we may want Diaw to handle some too. Many teams try to seal Nash's passing in the end because the defense is a lot tighter and your creativity is reduced due to not wanting to make a mistake.

 

[PetryJr]

OT: Does anyone else find it hard to separate yourself from the team? I keep wanting to say 'we' instead of 'they'.

I always say or write "they" as a matter of accuracy, but I'm well known for being uptight about such things. Once in a while I catch myself trying to write "we," but I make myself change it.

Heh, same here.

 

[mavsfan1000]

Yeah defenses really tighten at the end and not having Amare takes away part of Nash's passing attack. He still has plenty other but that interior threat made the suns almost unguardable since there were threats from inside and outside.

 

[George O'Brien]

As Boris continues to expand his game, I'd expect he will get the ball more at crunch time. At this point I think it is more a confidence issues than a skill issue.

 

[Errntknght]

OT: Does anyone else find it hard to separate yourself from the team? I keep wanting to say 'we' instead of 'they'.

It's normal to identify strongly with your team so give into the urge - you'll be in good company. It's even helpful when you are talking about talking about both teams and are referring to the opponents as 'they'.